10.01.2014 Views

Lesson 11 - Herbert W. Armstrong Library and Archives

Lesson 11 - Herbert W. Armstrong Library and Archives

Lesson 11 - Herbert W. Armstrong Library and Archives

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

The Arrest, Trial <strong>and</strong> Crucifixion of Christ


THE ARREST, TRIAL<br />

AND CRUCIFIXION<br />

OF CHRIST<br />

A fter concluding the Passover, Jesus Christ<br />

M. <strong>and</strong> His disciples crossed over the Kidron<br />

brook <strong>and</strong> on to the lower slopes of the<br />

Mount of Olives. Here He would have the last<br />

moments of peace <strong>and</strong> privacy in prayer with<br />

His Father.<br />

Jesus knew how vital it was that He be close<br />

to His Father before the traumatic events of<br />

the coming day. He wanted His Father's support<br />

<strong>and</strong> inspiration to help Him with the<br />

terrible ordeal He faced.<br />

STAYING CLOSE TO GOD<br />

Whenever we are about to face difficult situations,<br />

or find ourselves in trying circumstances,<br />

it is important that we have a close<br />

relationship with God. We should draw upon<br />

the support, encouragement <strong>and</strong> guidance that<br />

God can give us at such times.<br />

What does God promise to those who remain<br />

close to Him?<br />

"Let your conversation [conduct] be without<br />

_____; <strong>and</strong> be<br />

with such<br />

things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never<br />

____ thee, nor<br />

thee. So that<br />

we may boldly say, The Lord is my<br />

_____, <strong>and</strong> I will not<br />

what<br />

___ shall do unto me" (Hebrews 13:5-6).<br />

It doesn't matter how great or how small the<br />

difficulty may be, God is always available to<br />

help us with our needs <strong>and</strong> listen to our prayers<br />

ABOUT OUR COVER . ..<br />

Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, sentenced<br />

Christ to scourging <strong>and</strong> crucifixion.<br />

2<br />

Illustration by Ken Tunell<br />

for help. Perhaps we face a difficult examination<br />

at school or problems in our relationship<br />

with our family. Possibly the influence of our<br />

peers at school seems too much to cope with.<br />

Whatever the situation, God will hear us when<br />

we ask Him for help.<br />

CHRIST PRAYS TO THE FATHER<br />

After arriving at the Garden of Gethsemane,<br />

Christ told His disciples to wait while He went<br />

to pray. Taking Peter, James <strong>and</strong> John with<br />

Him, He began to pour out His feelings to<br />

them.<br />

Remember, Christ was also a human being.<br />

He had led a perfect, sinless life having had<br />

God's Holy Spirit from birth, but He still<br />

suffered just as you <strong>and</strong> I do (Mark 14:33-34).<br />

"Seeing then that we have a great high<br />

_____, that is passed into the heavens,<br />

the Son of God, let us<br />

our profession. For we have not an<br />

which cannot be<br />

with the ____<br />

firmities; but was in<br />

like as we are,<br />

__" (Hebrews 4:14-15).<br />

of our inpoints<br />

yet without<br />

Jesus Christ was tempted just as we are, but<br />

He did not sin. This is why Christ underst<strong>and</strong>s<br />

the trials <strong>and</strong> problems we experience as human<br />

beings. It is no wonder that Christ was<br />

"sore troubled" <strong>and</strong> "exceedingly sorrowful" as<br />

He contemplated the events of His arrest, trial<br />

<strong>and</strong> crucifixion.<br />

Christ knew the terrible death He faced. He<br />

knew He would carry the sins of the world on<br />

His shoulders. Christ knew He must pay the<br />

Youth Bible <strong>Lesson</strong>


death penalty for the breaking of God's laws on as before. Suffering from physical <strong>and</strong> nervous<br />

behalf of all who would later be given the exhaustion, the disciples again fell asleep.<br />

opportunity for eternal life.<br />

When Christ returned the second time, they<br />

With all these events on His mind, Jesus were embarrassed <strong>and</strong> afraid <strong>and</strong> could offer no<br />

prayed to His Father. He asked that if it were excuse (Mark 14:39-40).<br />

possible, could there be another way that God's A third time, Christ prayed in great mental<br />

purpose of salvation be achieved. But Jesus anguish that God would take away the aweconcluded<br />

His prayer with the recognition that some trial that faced Him. But being subject to<br />

all things must be done according to the Fa- God's will, He understood God's purpose <strong>and</strong><br />

ther's will.<br />

accepted what was about to happen to Him.<br />

We often make our requests to God in Returning to His disciples, He woke them <strong>and</strong><br />

prayer as Christ did, only to become upset told them that the time of His betrayal <strong>and</strong> arrest<br />

when our prayers are not r-::============. had come. Christ was now<br />

answered exactly in the way Suffering from physlcsl <strong>and</strong> prepared to face His ordeal<br />

we asked. We must under- nervous exhaustion, the (Matthew 26:46).<br />

st<strong>and</strong>, as Christ did, that disciples sgsln fellssleep.<br />

God's decisions <strong>and</strong> ways When Christ returned . ..<br />

JUDAS THE BETRAYER<br />

are perfect. Too often we<br />

judge situations according<br />

they were emba"s .. ed<br />

to our own reasoning. We <strong>and</strong> afrsld ...<br />

decide what is fair <strong>and</strong> just<br />

according to man's way. But God judges perfectly.<br />

And sometimes His decisions are not the<br />

decisions we would make.<br />

"For my<br />

are not your<br />

____, neither are your<br />

my<br />

____,' saith the . For as the heavens<br />

are<br />

than the earth, so are my<br />

____ higher than your , <strong>and</strong> my<br />

than your<br />

" (Isaiah<br />

55:8-9).<br />

We should always seek to underst<strong>and</strong> God's<br />

will <strong>and</strong> to underst<strong>and</strong> why God does what He<br />

does. When a person receives God's Holy<br />

Spirit, he begins to think as God does. He or<br />

she begins to underst<strong>and</strong> God's way. Because<br />

Jesus had the Holy Spirit from birth, He understood<br />

God's will <strong>and</strong> was willing to acknowledge<br />

that God's way is right.<br />

Christ was in such agony when he prayed,<br />

that His sweat became like drops of blood<br />

(Luke 22:44).<br />

When Christ returned to Peter, James <strong>and</strong><br />

John, He found them asleep. After encouraging<br />

them to pray <strong>and</strong> remain alert, He went back<br />

to continue praying. His prayer was the same<br />

Knowing that Jesus <strong>and</strong><br />

His disciples often came to<br />

the Garden of Gethsemane,<br />

Judas Iscariot led a b<strong>and</strong> of<br />

soldiers there to arrest Him. With them were<br />

officers of the chief priests <strong>and</strong> Pharisees. They<br />

carried lanterns <strong>and</strong> torches <strong>and</strong> their weapons<br />

(John 18:2-3).<br />

Judas, the betrayer, planned to identify Jesus<br />

to the soldiers with a kiss of greeting (Matthew<br />

26:48-49). As the soldiers approached, Christ<br />

asked them who they were looking for. The<br />

guards making the arrest then answered, "Jesus<br />

of Nazareth." When Jesus replied to the<br />

men, the guards <strong>and</strong> officers of the priests <strong>and</strong><br />

Pharisees fell backward to the ground.<br />

A second time they said they had come for<br />

Jesus of Nazareth <strong>and</strong> moved forward to make<br />

the arrest. At that moment, Peter drew his<br />

sword <strong>and</strong> struck a servant of the high priest,<br />

cutting off his ear. Christ sternly rebuked Peter<br />

by saying that violent men suffered violent<br />

deaths. Jesus then healed the servant's ear<br />

(Matthew 26:51-52; Luke 22:48-51).<br />

Jesus told Peter that if He had wanted to<br />

resist arrest, He could have called on thous<strong>and</strong>s<br />

of angels to come to His aid. Instead, Jesus<br />

knew that it was God's will that He go through<br />

with the arrest.<br />

Level 8 I <strong>Lesson</strong> <strong>11</strong><br />

3


The soldiers grabbed Christ <strong>and</strong> bound Him<br />

in ropes. Christ questioned their actions in<br />

making this arrest at night in a quiet, secluded<br />

place. He asked them why they hadn't arrested<br />

Him when He taught in the Temple or walked<br />

through the streets.<br />

At the moment of Christ's arrest, the fainthearted<br />

disciples all fled . No one remained to<br />

support Him. One young man was so desperate<br />

to escape that when the soldiers grabbed his<br />

clothing, he tore himself free <strong>and</strong> ran naked<br />

from the garden. It is possible that this young<br />

man was Mark, who later wrote of this incident<br />

in the book of Mark (Mark 14:50-52).<br />

The disciples had been with Christ for three<br />

4<br />

<strong>and</strong> one-half years. They had seen many fantastic<br />

miracles. They had watched how Christ<br />

reacted to many different situations. They<br />

heard Him teach with authority <strong>and</strong> explain the<br />

true meaning of the Scriptures-not twisting<br />

the Scriptures to suit His own will as the<br />

Pharisees did. Even Peter had told Christ that<br />

he knew there was no other way to live except<br />

to follow His example (John 6:68).<br />

But when they were tested, the disciples,<br />

without God's Spirit, were unable to hold to<br />

their convictions. In spite of all that they knew<br />

to be true, they didn't have the character to<br />

st<strong>and</strong> for what they believed.<br />

We can look to the end of these disciples'<br />

Youth Bible <strong>Lesson</strong>


The view looking across the Kidron Valley in<br />

Jerusalem. with the Garden of Gethsemane where<br />

Christ was arrested in the foreground.<br />

lives to see that they did develop that character.<br />

After they received God's Spirit on the day of<br />

Pentecost in A.D. 31, dramatic changes took<br />

place in their lives. They began to teach with<br />

power <strong>and</strong> authority what Christ had told them<br />

to teach, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.<br />

AN ILLEGAL TRIAL<br />

From the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ was<br />

taken to the house of Annas, the father-in-law<br />

of the high priest. Annas was an influential<br />

man among the Jewish religious leaders. He<br />

Level 6 I <strong>Lesson</strong> <strong>11</strong><br />

Q)<br />

.~<br />

Q)<br />

(fJ<br />

~<br />

c:<br />

g<br />

~<br />

had previously been high priest before being<br />

deposed by the Romans in A.D. 15. In A.D.<br />

18, Caiaphas became high priest, but Annas<br />

remained a respected religious leader among<br />

the Jews. Both Annas <strong>and</strong> Caiaphas were often<br />

regarded as high priests (Luke 3:2).<br />

Annas was an older man <strong>and</strong> well versed in<br />

the Jewish law. He was concerned about his<br />

role in the community if the message of the<br />

Kingdom of God were to be believed by the<br />

multitudes.<br />

Annas questioned Jesus about His teachings<br />

<strong>and</strong> His disciples (John 18:19). Christ's reply<br />

was that He had never hidden anything, but<br />

had preached openly in the synagogues <strong>and</strong> in<br />

the Temple.<br />

"Why then," Jesus asked, "didn't you question<br />

those who heard Me teach?"<br />

Angered at Christ's reply, a guard struck<br />

Christ. This was the beginning of the physical<br />

abuse that would eventually culminate in<br />

Christ's crucifixion. Jesus was then taken to<br />

Caiaphas' house where He was to be tried.<br />

Caiaphas quickly convened an investigative<br />

council. The council members came from the<br />

influential people of Judea-priests, lawyers,<br />

Sadducees <strong>and</strong> Pharisees.<br />

The council could make charges in civil <strong>and</strong><br />

religious matters in Judea. But under Roman<br />

rule, they could not deal with acts of treason or<br />

disloyalty to Roman leadership.<br />

Witnesses were bribed to appear <strong>and</strong> make<br />

false accusations against Christ. But none of<br />

the men making the charges agreed with each<br />

other. Then two men came forward <strong>and</strong> falsely<br />

claimed that Jesus had boasted of destroying<br />

the Temple <strong>and</strong> rebuilding it in three days. But<br />

even these two witnesses could not agree on<br />

their story. They were also twisting the meaning<br />

of what Christ had said (Mark 14:55-59).<br />

Christ had been referring to the "temple" of<br />

His body (John 2:18-21). The Apostle Paul<br />

also referred to the body of a converted Christian<br />

as a temple.<br />

Why is it called a temple?<br />

"Know ye not that ye are the<br />

of<br />

5


___, <strong>and</strong> that the<br />

of God from a distance to Caiaphas' house. Because<br />

dwelleth in you?" (I Corinthians 3:16.)<br />

The only sign Christ gave to the disbelieving<br />

Jews that He was the Messiah was that He<br />

would be in the grave three days <strong>and</strong> three<br />

nights. He would be buried <strong>and</strong> His body, the<br />

temple of God's Spirit, would be raised three<br />

days later.<br />

Christ gave no defense to the false accusations<br />

<strong>and</strong> lies directed at Him. To have done so<br />

would have been useless in this unjust court<br />

(Mark 14:61).<br />

Finally, Caiaphas asked Jesus if He was the<br />

Christ, the Son of God. Christ replied: "Thou<br />

hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter<br />

shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the<br />

right h<strong>and</strong> of power, <strong>and</strong> coming in the clouds<br />

of heaven" (Matthew 26:64).<br />

This was too much for the self-righteous<br />

John was known to someone in Caiaphas'<br />

household, they were allowed into the courtyard<br />

(John 18:15-16).<br />

When they entered the gateway, a maid<br />

questioned if Peter was one of Christ's disciples.<br />

Peter promptly denied that he knew anything<br />

about Christ. He then walked to a brazier<br />

filled with hot coals where several officers of<br />

the guard were warming themselves. As Peter<br />

stood warming his h<strong>and</strong>s, he was again asked if<br />

he was one of Christ's disciples. Again, he<br />

denied any knowledge of Christ.<br />

Then one of the household servants of the<br />

high priest, a relative of the man whose ear<br />

Peter had cut off, was sure that he had seen<br />

Peter with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane<br />

(John 18:26).<br />

What was Peter's reaction to this third accureligious<br />

leaders. In a ceremonial display of sation?<br />

indignation, Caiaphas tore the hem of his gar- "Then began he to <strong>and</strong> to<br />

ment, loudly accusing Christ of blasphemy-<br />

, saying, I<br />

not the<br />

claiming to be God. man" (Matthew 26:74).<br />

According to the law (Leviticus 24: 16), a At that moment, a rooster crowed, signaling<br />

"blasphemer" was to be stoned to death. In the dawn of a new day. Then Christ turned <strong>and</strong><br />

their hatred against Christ, these men may now looked at Peter. Suddenly, Peter remembered<br />

have felt justified in their .. ============-1 that Christ had told him<br />

predetermined decision to Christ gave no defense to that he would deny Him<br />

kill Him.<br />

the false accusations <strong>and</strong> three times.<br />

These highly regarded religious<br />

leaders now began to<br />

went out <strong>and</strong> wept bitterly<br />

Filled with grief, Peter<br />

lies directed at Him. To<br />

take out their spite <strong>and</strong> hatred have done so would have ~ (Matthew 26:75).<br />

on Christ. They struck Him been useless In this unjust<br />

with their h<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> spit in<br />

court.<br />

His face.<br />

As they struck Him, they began to taunt<br />

Him <strong>and</strong> call on Him to prophesy. They covered<br />

His face with a hood or blindfold <strong>and</strong><br />

mocked Him to identify those who struck Him.<br />

This violent, cowardly treatment of Jesus<br />

continued through the early hours of the morning.<br />

PETER DENIES CHRIST<br />

During this time, Peter <strong>and</strong> another disciple,<br />

probably John, followed the arresting mob<br />

JESUS IS CONDEMNED<br />

TO DEATH<br />

Jesus Christ was subjected to false charges,<br />

insults <strong>and</strong> severe physical abuse. At dawn He<br />

was again before a council of religious leaders.<br />

He was again questioned as to whether He was<br />

the Christ, the Son of God.<br />

What was Christ's reply?<br />

"If I tell you, ye will not<br />

: <strong>and</strong> if<br />

I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor<br />

__________. Hereafter shall the<br />

____ of ______ on the ____<br />

____ of the power of . Then said<br />

6<br />

Youth Bible <strong>Lesson</strong>


they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And<br />

he said unto them, Ye<br />

that __<br />

__" (Luke 22:67-70).<br />

As far as the members of the council were<br />

concerned, Jesus was now condemned by His<br />

own words.<br />

Do You Remember?<br />

1. Why is it important for us to have a close<br />

relationship with God? ______ _<br />

2. God has promised us<br />

that He would never<br />

_____ us.<br />

3. What did the disciples<br />

do while Jesus prayed?<br />

Christ was next taken be-<br />

fore the procurator, Pontius<br />

Pilate. Pilate was the Roman governor of<br />

Judea. He had been appointed to the office in<br />

A.D. 26 possessing military <strong>and</strong> financial powers.<br />

He appointed the high priest <strong>and</strong> controlled<br />

the Temple funds. The Roman historian<br />

Philo describes Pilate as a harsh <strong>and</strong> spiteful<br />

man (Matthew 27:2).<br />

Pilate was continually trying to keep the<br />

Roman emperor happy, <strong>and</strong> at the same time<br />

rule a nation of people he hated <strong>and</strong> misunderstood.<br />

He particularly hated the self-righteous,<br />

vindictive religious leaders of the Jews, <strong>and</strong><br />

they had the same feelings toward him.<br />

Christ was taken to Pilate's palace. St<strong>and</strong>ing<br />

outside, as they feared becoming defiled by entering<br />

a Gentile's house, the Jews accused Jesus<br />

of many things. They wanted Christ tried <strong>and</strong><br />

executed by the Roman authorities. To make this<br />

possible, they used other false charges. These<br />

things helped fulfill Christ's prophecy of how He<br />

would be killed-by Roman crucifixion, not<br />

stoning (Luke 23:1; John 18:28-29).<br />

"And they began to accuse him, saying, We<br />

4. Should we be angry at<br />

God if He does not answer<br />

our prayers exactly as we asked?<br />

Why? ______________________<br />

5. We should always seek to underst<strong>and</strong><br />

God's ____ _<br />

6. Christ prayed while in the Garden of<br />

7. ____________ betrayed<br />

Christ.<br />

8. Which disciple cut off the ear of the high<br />

priest's servant? ______<br />

9. What did the disciples do when Christ was<br />

arrested? _____________<br />

10. Who was the high priest? ____ _<br />

<strong>11</strong>. Who was the father-in-law of the high<br />

priest? ____ _<br />

12. Peter denied Christ ____ times.<br />

THE BETRAYER'S END<br />

When Judas Iscariot, who was st<strong>and</strong>ing on<br />

the fringes of the crowd, heard the condemnation<br />

of Christ, he understood its meaning. He<br />

understood that the religious leaders would not<br />

Pllst. w •• contlnuslly<br />

trying to keep the ROtIIIIn<br />

."",.,01 hllppy, IIIJd .t<br />

the .. ",. time, rule. nstIon<br />

of people h. IuIted snd<br />

misunderstood.<br />

rest that day until Christ was dead. He further<br />

realized that it was his actions that resulted in<br />

Christ's arrest.<br />

Judas returned the pieces of silver, his price<br />

for betraying Christ, to the chief priests. They<br />

refused it, self-righteously declaring it tainted<br />

with blood (Matthew 27:3-10).<br />

After throwing the money down in the Temple,<br />

Judas ran out <strong>and</strong> hastily made a noose out<br />

of old rope, tied it to a tree <strong>and</strong> placed it<br />

around his neck. Unable to bear the guilt,<br />

Judas leaped out <strong>and</strong> ended his life. As Judas<br />

hung from the tree, the rope<br />

broke <strong>and</strong> his body fell to<br />

the ground, bursting his<br />

stomach (Acts 1: 18-19).<br />

JESUS BROUGHT<br />

BEFORE PILATE<br />

found this fellow<br />

forbidding to give<br />

the nation, <strong>and</strong><br />

to ______<br />

Level 8 I <strong>Lesson</strong> <strong>11</strong><br />

7


saying that he himself is Christ a ____ "<br />

(Luke 23:2).<br />

They implied that Christ was plotting<br />

against Caesar. This was treason, a crime by<br />

Roman law <strong>and</strong> punishable by death.<br />

Pilate would have known about Christ, who<br />

had received much attention in Jerusalem because<br />

of His miracles <strong>and</strong> teachings. But seeing<br />

no harm in Christ's teachings, he told the<br />

Jewish leaders to try Christ <strong>and</strong> judge Him<br />

according to their law (John 18:31).<br />

Realizing that their purpose was beginning<br />

to be thwarted, they loudly proclaimed that<br />

they could not pronounce the death sentence<br />

for treason, saying that it was Pilate's responsibility.<br />

Pilate did not want them accusing him<br />

to Caesar of allowing sedition in Judea. So he<br />

reluctantly agreed to question Christ.<br />

Pilate asked Christ if He claimed to be the<br />

king of the Jews. "Is that what you think or did<br />

someone tell you about Me?" Christ asked<br />

him. Pilate quickly assured Christ that it was<br />

the Jew's accusation (John 18:33-35).<br />

Christ then explained that He was indeed a<br />

king <strong>and</strong> was born for that purpose. But, His<br />

kingdom was not of this world (age). Therefore,<br />

His followers did not fight. Christ's purpose<br />

in being born was to bring the knowledge<br />

of the truth to those whom God would call.<br />

Cynically, Pilate asked, "What is truth?"<br />

(John 18:38.)<br />

The Bible answers this question for us. "Thy<br />

____ is truth" (John 17:17).<br />

Satisfied that Christ presented no threat to<br />

Roman rule, Pilate told the Jewish religious<br />

leaders that he considered Christ innocent.<br />

But the religious leaders continued their accusations<br />

against Christ. Pilate was astonished<br />

that Christ remained silent, not answering their<br />

accusations as most people would have done<br />

(Matthew 27:13-14).<br />

The priests <strong>and</strong> elders then turned their accusations<br />

to Pilate, again claiming Christ was<br />

guilty of treason. "He's preached sedition from<br />

Galilee to Judea," they shouted.<br />

Hearing that Jesus was from Galilee gave<br />

8<br />

Pilate the idea of sending Him to Herod.<br />

Herod Antipas was the tetrarch <strong>and</strong> ruler over<br />

the area of Galilee.<br />

Herod, who happened to be in Jerusalem at<br />

this time, was delighted to see Jesus. But not<br />

for any good reason. Having heard about<br />

Christ's miracles, he was hopeful that Jesus<br />

would perform one for him. He questioned<br />

Christ in detail, while the chief priests <strong>and</strong><br />

scribes stood by vehemently accusing Him. But<br />

Simon of Cyrene was required to carry the huge<br />

wooden stake to the site of Christ's crucifixion.<br />

Youth Bible lesson


Christ did not dignify their accusations by<br />

answering them.<br />

Angry at Christ's silence to his questions <strong>and</strong><br />

not seeing a miracle, Herod <strong>and</strong> his soldiers<br />

mocked Him. They dressed Christ in a royal<br />

robe <strong>and</strong> then sent Him back to Pilate (Luke<br />

23:6-12).<br />

BARABBAS IS RELEASED<br />

As a gesture of "generosity" toward the<br />

Jewish people, it was Pilate's custom during the<br />

Passover season to release a prisoner of their<br />

choice. Hoping to be rid of<br />

Christ, he offered them the<br />

choice of Barabbas, a convicted<br />

terrorist <strong>and</strong> murderer,<br />

or Jesus Christ.<br />

The Jewish leaders persuaded<br />

the crowd to dem<strong>and</strong><br />

the release of Barabbas.<br />

When Pilate appeared on the<br />

balcony to ask which prisoner they wanted released,<br />

the angry mob, led by the hateful scribes<br />

<strong>and</strong> Pharisees, began to shout for Barabbas.<br />

Pilate told them that he could find no fault<br />

that made Jesus deserve crucifixion. By this<br />

time the Jewish leaders were beside themselves<br />

with hatred <strong>and</strong> fury.<br />

What did they say to Pilate?<br />

"If thou this go, thou art not<br />

____ friend: whosoever maketh himself<br />

a speaketh against "<br />

(John 19:12).<br />

Pilate realized that it was Christ's life or his<br />

loss of credibility with Caesar <strong>and</strong> possible<br />

death. Taking Christ down to the Roman judgment<br />

hall, he presented Christ to the religious<br />

leaders as the king of the Jews.<br />

"We have no king but Caesar," they shouted<br />

to Pilate (John 19:15).<br />

Pilate then ceremoniously washed his h<strong>and</strong>s,<br />

symbolizing that he did not consider himself<br />

responsible for Christ's death. He released<br />

Barabbas <strong>and</strong> formally sentenced Christ to the<br />

will of the religious leaders. Christ was then<br />

taken to be scourged before being crucified<br />

Pilate told them that he<br />

found no fault that made<br />

Jesus deserve crucifixion.<br />

The Jewish leaders were<br />

beside themselves with<br />

hatred <strong>and</strong> fury.<br />

(Matthew 27:23-26; Luke 23:24).<br />

THE ROMAN SCOURGING<br />

A Roman scourging was a terrible punishment<br />

which many never survived. The person<br />

was tied to a pillar or post <strong>and</strong> then lashed by<br />

a trained soldier. The whips were made of<br />

thongs of leather fastened to a h<strong>and</strong>le. There<br />

were usually three thongs in each scourge<br />

imbedded with bits of metal <strong>and</strong> bone. Christ<br />

was beaten so badly during this scourging, He<br />

was barely recognizable.<br />

What does Isaiah say<br />

about Christ's beaten body?<br />

"As many were astonied<br />

[astonished] at thee; his<br />

was so<br />

____ more than<br />

_______, <strong>and</strong> his<br />

form more than the ____<br />

of men" (Isaiah 52:14).<br />

This beating was a vital part in God's plan.<br />

Christ's shed blood <strong>and</strong> His broken body picture<br />

a complete <strong>and</strong> total sacrifice for sin.<br />

At the Passover service today, Christ's sacrifice<br />

is remembered through the symbols Christ<br />

established. A small glass of wine represents<br />

Christ's shed blood <strong>and</strong> a piece of unleavened<br />

bread represents His broken body. True Christians<br />

show appreciation that Christ's blood allows<br />

forgiveness of sin. But also, the broken<br />

bread shows our willingness to allow Christ to<br />

live His life in us.<br />

Another deep meaning of Jesus' sacrifice <strong>and</strong><br />

suffering is that with His<br />

we are<br />

____ (Isaiah 53:5 <strong>and</strong> I Peter 2:24).<br />

After the terrible scourging, the Roman soldiers<br />

draped a robe around Christ's battered<br />

<strong>and</strong> bleeding body. Then they took a wreath of<br />

thorns <strong>and</strong> jammed it down onto Christ's head,<br />

causing excruciating pain as the blood ran<br />

down His face.<br />

Then spitting on Him, mocking Him <strong>and</strong><br />

beating His head with a reed, they bowed down<br />

before Him, saluting Him as the king of the<br />

Jews (Matthew 27:27-30).<br />

Level 8 / <strong>Lesson</strong> <strong>11</strong><br />

9


The probable site of Golgotha, the "place of the skull," where the crucifixion of Christ occurred.<br />

CHRIST IS CRUCIFIED<br />

After their humiliating treatment of Christ,<br />

the soldiers led Him away to be crucified. He<br />

was so weak from the brutal scourging, they<br />

had to force a man named Simon of Cyrene to<br />

carry the huge wooden stake to the site of the<br />

crucifixion (Luke 23:26).<br />

A large crowd of people followed the procession<br />

outside the city.<br />

Some women who saw Jesus began weeping.<br />

When Christ saw them crying, He turned <strong>and</strong><br />

told them not to weep for Him, but for themselves<br />

as the destruction of Jerusalem would<br />

soon be upon them. It was about 40 years later<br />

that Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans<br />

(Luke 23:27-31).<br />

Finally, the group of soldiers with Christ<br />

reached a small rocky outcropping called Golgotha,<br />

outside the wall of the city. Golgotha is<br />

10<br />

a word that means "place of the skull"<br />

(Matthew 27:33).<br />

There they stripped Him of His robe <strong>and</strong><br />

proceeded with the final part of Christ's death.<br />

They stretched Him out on the stake <strong>and</strong><br />

pounded crude iron nails into His h<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong><br />

feet, fixing Him to the wooden stake. Nailed to<br />

the stake over Christ's head was an inscription<br />

in three languages-Hebrew, Greek <strong>and</strong><br />

Latin-that read, "This is Jesus of Nazareth,<br />

the king of the Jews." This was Pilate's final<br />

spiteful act to the Jewish religious leaders<br />

(John 19: 19-20).<br />

Jesus hung in agony on the stake while the<br />

chief priests <strong>and</strong> Pharisees came to mock <strong>and</strong><br />

insult Him. They challenged Him to save Himself<br />

from the cross if He could. They did not<br />

realize that Jesus could have called upon thous<strong>and</strong>s<br />

of angels to come to His rescue. But<br />

Christ knew He had to go through with this<br />

Youth Bible <strong>Lesson</strong>


terrible ordeal to make it possible for God to<br />

enlarge His Family (Matthew 27:39-43).<br />

Crucified on either side of Him were two<br />

thieves. One scorned Him <strong>and</strong> accused Him.<br />

The other knew that they both deserved their<br />

punishment, but Christ was innocent. The thief<br />

then asked Christ to remember him when He<br />

returned to His kingdom. Christ's reply was<br />

that later, after the resurrection of all the dead,<br />

the thief would indeed see Christ in His Kingdom<br />

(Luke 23:39-43).<br />

Among the mourners around the cross were<br />

Christ's mother Mary, <strong>and</strong> one of His disciples,<br />

John. Thinking of others, even in this time of<br />

pain <strong>and</strong> agony, Christ comm<strong>and</strong>ed John to<br />

look after His mother from that time forward<br />

(John 19:27).<br />

About midday, an unnatural darkness came<br />

over the l<strong>and</strong> of Judea. It lasted for about three<br />

hours. After this, Christ knew even His Father<br />

had turned His back on Him as He carried the<br />

world's sins on His shoulders. With a<br />

heartrending cry, Christ called out to His Father.<br />

"My , my , why hast thou<br />

_____ me?" (Matthew 27:46.)<br />

Shortly after this, a soldier took his spear<br />

<strong>and</strong> rammed it into Christ's side. As the water<br />

<strong>and</strong> blood gushed out, Christ's last words to<br />

His Father asked for the forgiveness of those<br />

who had killed Him. Then He died.<br />

At the moment of Christ's death, miraculous<br />

events happened. An earthquake shook through<br />

the area of Judea. Many tombs were opened<br />

<strong>and</strong> people were resurrected from the dead.<br />

Also the veil separating the Holy of Holies<br />

from the rest of the Temple was ripped from<br />

top to bottom, showing that man now had<br />

access to the Father (Matthew 27:51-54).<br />

As the first Day of Unleavened Bread was<br />

approaching, the Jews wanted the bodies removed<br />

from the stakes. Soldiers came to break<br />

the legs of those crucified. This would speed up<br />

their deaths as they would no longer be able to<br />

support the weight of their bodies to breathe<br />

(John 19:31-32).<br />

The soldiers broke both the thieves' legs, but<br />

upon seeing Christ was dead, they left Him<br />

alone. This fulfilled the prophecy that not a<br />

bone in Christ's body would be broken (Psalm<br />

34:20).<br />

Christ's sacrifice made it now possible for<br />

our sins to be forgiven, when we repent of<br />

them. We also now have direct access to God<br />

the Father.<br />

Christ died so that we may have life in<br />

abundance in God's Family. And as we will<br />

learn in our next lesson, Christ was resurrected<br />

<strong>and</strong> now sits at the right h<strong>and</strong> of God the<br />

Father. We will also learn about the beginning<br />

of His Church.<br />

Do You Remember?<br />

l. What did Judas do after realizing that<br />

Christ would be killed? _____ _<br />

2. Who was the Roman procurator or governor<br />

over Judea? ________ _<br />

3. What did the Jews falsely accuse Jesus of<br />

doing before Pilate? _______ _<br />

4. What is truth? ________ _<br />

5. Who was the tetrarch <strong>and</strong> ruler of<br />

Galilee? _______<br />

6. Who was the prisoner that Pilate wanted<br />

to release? ___________<br />

7. What is the importance of the beating<br />

that Christ suffered? _______<br />

8. What did the sign say that was nailed to<br />

the stake above Christ's head? ___ _<br />

9. How long did Christ say that He would<br />

be in the grave? ________ _<br />

Level 8 / <strong>Lesson</strong> <strong>11</strong><br />

<strong>11</strong>


LIFE OF CHRIST CROSSWORD<br />

ACROSS<br />

2. Tetrarch of Galilee.<br />

3. Leading Jewish court.<br />

5. Christ taught here.<br />

8. Judas was a<br />

9. Roman emperor.<br />

10. Where Christ was crucified.<br />

12. Jewish religious group.<br />

13. Governor of Judea.<br />

14. Betrayed Christ.<br />

16. Cared for Jesus' mother.<br />

19. A disciple of Christ.<br />

21 . Roman historian.<br />

23. City in Judea.<br />

24. Caiaphas falsely accused<br />

Christ of<br />

27. Jewish religious group.<br />

32. Soldiers were sent to<br />

Christ.<br />

33. Christ falsely accused of<br />

this before Pilate.<br />

34. The Jews lived in<br />

35. A type of Roman<br />

punishment.<br />

36. Happens at Christ's return .<br />

DOWN<br />

1. Jesus was called this.<br />

2. Jewish religious leader.<br />

4. A student of Christ.<br />

6. Jewish religious group.<br />

7. Where Jesus went to pray.<br />

<strong>11</strong> . Was crucified on the<br />

stake.<br />

15. The high priest's father-inlaw.<br />

17. A Roman soldier in charge<br />

of 100 men.<br />

18. Part of the Temple.<br />

20. Denied knowing Christ.<br />

22. The high priest.<br />

24. Released from prison.<br />

25. Kept by Christ <strong>and</strong><br />

disciples.<br />

26. Valley near Jerusalem.<br />

28. Someone who is not a<br />

Jew.<br />

29. Christ was given an<br />

illegal __ .<br />

30. He is our Savior.<br />

31 . The mother of Jesus.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!